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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26737414">Reid's Allergies</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/combeferre_writer01/pseuds/combeferre_writer01'>combeferre_writer01</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Criminal Minds (US TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Reid has really bad allergies, Sick!Reid, caring BAU, prentiss might be wine aunt but garcia is tea mother, worried BAU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:08:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,100</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26737414</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/combeferre_writer01/pseuds/combeferre_writer01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The BAU learns that Reid has godforsaken allergies and they all help take care of him in their own ways.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>129</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Reid's Allergies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The honey remedy Rossi gives Reid at the end isn't nonsense. My uncle was a holistic nutritionist and he swore by raw honey. I tried it and now only get allergies in the fall because the wind blows pollen from a grass that doesn't grow locally.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>No-one in the BAU was shocked to learn the young Dr. Reid had horrible seasonal allergies. Upon his first year at the BAU, the Unit Chief, Aaron Hotchner, thought the poor boy was ill. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The youngest agent continuously had a tissue, wrapped around his forefinger, pressed under his nose whenever he had to look down. Reid sniffled almost constantly and sneezed every few minutes. After the third sneezing fit, Hotch decided enough was enough. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Reid,” he called from the rail above the bullpen, “my office, please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reid was up on his feet, going to his boss’s office and sat when gestured to. He sneezed and wiped his nose with the tissue. “What’s up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can stay home when you’re ill, Reid. That’s why you have sick days,” Hotch explained. Gideon had joked about them having to tell Reid about what a vacation was, but he didn’t think he’d need to tell the boy about sick days. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reid shook his head. “I’m not-” he sneezed, “sick. It’s just allergies. My meds just haven’t kicked in yet.” The doctor sniffled. “It only takes about a week for antihistamines to work their way into the system.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When did you start taking them?” Hotch studied Reid. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Monday.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was Wednesday. “Reid, go home. Catch up on sleep.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hotch, I’m really-” </span>
  <em>
    <span>sneeze</span>
  </em>
  <span>, “-okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The unit chief sighed. “That wasn’t a question. Go get some rest; play tomorrow by </span>
</p><p>
  <span>ear. If you aren’t as snuffly, come on back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reid grabbed his satchel and begrudgingly waved to Morgan on his way out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Reid went back to work the next morning- very early morning seeing as they had a case, he was still just as stuffy-nosed as before. Hotch very nearly sent the boy home. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reid was comparing handwriting samples when his nose started to run. He was about to run the cuff of his shirt under his nose when there was suddenly a tissue in his hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at Morgan, who was slipping a plastic sleeve of tissues into his pocket, for a few seconds before he sneezed into this tissue. From then on, Morgan made it a habit to carry tissues with him in case the kid might need them.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>JJ was in Quantico with Garcia while the rest of the BAU was off helping police in Montana with a missing person’s case. Garcia usually preferred tea after 3:30 in the afternoon. Whenever she started up her electric kettle, she always offered whoever was within earshot if they wanted tea, too. That day, it happened to be JJ.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to rinse out my mug. The second drawer to the left- the bottom one- is full of tea. Take your pick.” Garcia ducked out of the room.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Tech Analysis wasn’t kidding when she said the drawer was full of tea. Earl Gray, mint, Lady Gray, a couple of herbal seasonal teas. And a sinus relief tea. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Garcia re-entered her office only to find a rather concerned JJ. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you coming down with something, Garcia?” the blonde inquired. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? No.” Realization dawned on her when she saw the Yugi box in the Media Liaison’s hand. “Oh! That’s for Reid when his allergies act out. When his allergies are bad, I cut him off after two cups of coffee, but he can have as much Gatorade, water, and tea- herbal tea- as his little doctoral heart desires."</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>When Reid came to work sniffly and red-eyed, Prentiss felt worry for the young doctor. Why didn’t he stay home if he was feeling so poorly?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Garcia came bustling in next and Emily caught up with her. “Hey, Garcia? Does Reid look kinda ill to you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Watery eyes? Sniffling every five seconds?” Garcia was already headed back to her bunker, determination in her step. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The blonde shook her head. “He’s early this year.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Emily followed after her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“His allergies are awful. They’re always worse in the fall.” Garcia turned on her electric kettle and got a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dr. Who</span>
  </em>
  <span> mug from her tea drawer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does he take meds for it?” Emily wondered. “My allergies were bad in college and I took an over the counter pill; they were manageable.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Garcia sighed. “He used to, but now he won’t take anything that isn’t prescription and he refuses to go to the hospital unless Hotch makes him- and allergies aren’t deadly or contagious, there’s nothing Hotch can do. Anyway, we help our good doctor teas and endless tissues. Morgan always has tissues for him and JJ has tea in her go-bag.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Emily went to the store after work, she was sure to buy tissues in the plastic sleeves. She was loaded with the little things. Her blazer pocket, pants pocket, purse, go-bag, and the glove box of her car. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Reid was shocked when, the next day when they were at a crime scene, he sneezed and there was a tissue in front of his face when he opened his eyes and the hand wasn’t Morgan’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Thanks.” He took the tissue and Emily merely nodded.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Rossi had been on the team for a few weeks before he witnessed one of Spencer’s allergy bouts. He couldn’t help but pity the young man. After all, he’d had godforsaken seasonal allergies when he was a teen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>One day, Reid stepped into the bullpen and saw a jar of honey on his desk- comb and all. Beside the jaw was a note in Rossi’s neat scrawl. It read: </span>
  <em>
    <span>Eat half an inch of honey comb twice a day, use the honey in tea or on food. Give two weeks and you’ll never suffer from allergies again. -David Rossi.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Reid smiled to himself and picked up the jar. He opened it and broke off the suggested amount, squishing it lightly between his forefinger and thumb, debating if he’d be able to stomach the texture. He came to the conclusion that never having to deal with allergies again- even the possibility of it- was worth an off-putting texture. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Morgan was the first to notice the youngest agent stopped putting half a cup of sugar in his coffee and instead opted for three tablespoons of honey. </span>
  <span>“Trying a new flavor, Pretty Boy?” Morgan asked when he spotted Reid putting the jar of honey back in his desk drawer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a home remedy suggestion from a friend. The honey’s sweeter, so it takes less- to </span>
  <span>mention the health benefits. Honey has four properties that kill bacteria and because this jar I have is wild honey, it has trace amounts of pollen. That’s why it might help my allergies- it’s like an edible vaccine.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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